Dingell, John D. (John David), 1894-1955

Dates:

Birth 1894-02-02

Death 1955-09-19

Gender:

Male

Nationality: Americans

Language: English

Biographical notes:

John David Dingell Sr. (February 2, 1894 – September 19, 1955) was an American politician who represented Michigan's 15th congressional district from 1933 to 1955. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He was the father of the longest-serving member of Congress, former U.S. Representative John Dingell.

Dingell was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Marie Ciesielski Opalewska and Joseph A. Dzieglewicz, who were Polish immigrants. The family's surname ended up being anglicized to 'Dingell'. He worked as a newsboy, printer and newspaperman. He had also engaged in the construction of natural gas pipelines, was a wholesale dealer in beef and pork products and an organizer and trustee of Colorado Springs Labor College.

Dingell married Grace Blossom Bigler (1894–1962) and had four children: John Jr., Patricia Ann, James, and Julè. Patricia Ann, known as Patsy, died shortly after her first birthday. Dingell settled his family in Detroit, where he worked as a printer at the Detroit Free Press, helping to organize a union. Dingell suffered from asthma and tuberculosis, which caused the family to briefly relocate to Colorado Springs to seek treatment there. There, John Jr. was born in 1926.

Following the 1930 U.S. Census, Michigan gained four new seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1932, Dingell was elected as a Democrat from the newly formed 15th District in western Detroit. He was reelected eleven times and served until his death at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., at the age of 61. He is interred at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Michigan.